Review: The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King

June 1st, 2017 by Debbie's World of Books

Source: Free Amazon Kindle Book of the Month

Publication date: June 1, 2017

Publisher: Skyscape

Rating:

About the book:

As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple.

But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik.

Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda has only one hope for escape, and it lies in an arcane, forbidden power buried within her.

In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.

My Thoughts:

This book came up as one of the options for the free books as a part of my Amazon Prime account. The cover was gorgeous and the premise was intriguing so even though it’s not along the lines of what I would normally read I decided to give it a try. I’m so glad I did!

The story immediately drew me in and despite insta-love being a pet peeve of mine for some reason it didn’t bother me as much here. I think it’s because the surrounding story line was fascinating and I became immersed in the world Kalinda and Deven lived in.

The cast of characters was wonderful and I loved the inter-play between the Rajah’s various wives and courtesans. It’s mind boggling about how it must be living in this type of environment and the stress of the constant political intrigue going on in his court.

There were a few surprises along the way though mixed in with some predictable moments. When I finished it I immediately wanted to dive into the next book. I can’t wait for The Fire Queen to release. This was a exceptional read that I would highly recommend.